Nancy Soderberg says crisis could have a global impact

Secretary of State John Kerry calls Russia's military incursion into Ukraine 'an incredible act of aggression" and says President Vladimir Putin has made "a stunning, willful" choice to invade another country.

Kerry says Russia should respect the democratic process through which the Ukrainian people ousted their pro-Russian president and assembled a new government.Kerry is raising the possibility of boycotting the June meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized countries in Sochi, Russia.

Channel 4 spoke with a Former United Nations Ambassador who worked under the Clinton administration and who lives in Jacksonville now. Nancy Soderberg has taught political science at the University of Northern Florida.

Soderberg says Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions must come to an end, before the people of Ukraine suffer even more.

"What he's doing is trying to re-assert the Soviet-era, where he can control what happens in the former Soviet Union territory and he's using brutal tactics to do so," said Soderberg.

The United States has already gotten involved.

"The president spent an hour-and-a-half on the phone with President Putin. We've been urging him (Putin) to take more responsible action," said Soderberg.

Soderberg says there is an alliance of NATO countries in that area. She says there are troops in the area that could contain what is happening in the Ukraine.

The crisis in Ukraine could also have a global economic impact.

"It's not good. We want to be able to trade with Russia. We want Russia to be a part of the west," said Soderberg.

Many are hoping the violence in the Ukraine will come to an end.

"Eventually they'll get there. The question is how bloody will it be on that path," Soderberg said.

Copyright 2014 by News4Jax.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of News4Jax or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.

National News

Thousands of California acres are ablaze as firefighters battle at least 21 wildfires throughout the state, but while many of those fires are small or mostly contained, the wind and heat that are spreading the Rocky Fire in Northern California -- and...